Annual Review 2019: Hot Issues in Federal Contracting

March 7 | MGM National Harbor | Oxon Hill, MD

Centre’s flagship event, Annual Review: Hot Issues in Federal Contracting, provides everything you need to know to stay current in the ever-changing field of government contracts. This one-day event serves as a refresher on the developments in contracting over the past year and as an opportunity to network with your peers. Our agenda hosts a series of distinguished speakers and panelists, both from government and industry, covering vital topics to help prepare you for business growth in 2019.

Keynote Speaker:

Alan Thomas – Commissioner for the U.S. General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service

Alan B. Thomas Jr. was sworn in as Commissioner for the U.S. General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service on June 26, 2017. In this position, he oversees the delivery of more than $50 billion of products, services and solutions that save taxpayer dollars and enable federal agencies to accomplish their missions as efficiently as possible. Thomas comes to GSA with more than 20 years of experience in both industry and government.

Plenary Speaker:

Oki Mek is behind a blockchain proof of concept that could revolutionize how government agencies handle procurement. By providing new visibility into Department of Health and Human Services acquisition data, Mek is helping the agency leverage its buying power to save billions of dollars a year. Mek spearheaded the project, called HHS Accelerate, also incorporates artificial intelligence to highlight relevant data and streamline the procurement process.

Plenary Speaker:

Alan Chvotkin – Executive Vice President and Counsel, Professional Services Council

Alan L. Chvotkin is the executive vice president and counsel of the Professional Services Council, the principal national trade association of the government technology and professional services industry, where he is responsible for the association’s legislative and regulatory policy activity. Chvotkin is a member of the American, Supreme Court and District of Columbia Bar Associations and a fellow of the National Contract Management Association, where he serves on its national board of advisors.

Topic: Bid Protests, Litigation, and Legislation

Barbara Kinosky is the Managing Partner of Centre Law & Consulting. She has more than twenty-five years of experience in all aspects of federal government contracting. Barbara is a nationally known speaker, experienced expert witness, and sits on the American Arbitration Association complex disputes panel for government contracting cases. Barbara routinely advises clients on compliance issues, claims, protests and ITAR. She has a proven track record of solving complex issues for clients by providing strategic and business savvy advice. Barbara was named a top attorney for federal contracting by Smart CEO magazine in 2010, 2012 and 2015.

David Warner heads Centre’s litigation, audit, and investigation practices. He is a seasoned counselor and advocate with more than twenty years of experience in the resolution and litigation of complex business and employment disputes before state and federal courts and agencies. His practice is particularly focused on the government contractor, nonprofit, and hospitality industries.

Jack Delman served as a judge on the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals for 29 years and has extensive experience in the adjudication and mediation of large and complex contract disputes, including equitable adjustments, terminations and cost, and pricing issues. Jack has extensive experience with claims analysis, FAR and DOD agency regulations and BCA practice and procedure.

Breakout Session: GSA and VA Schedule Updates

Maureen Jamieson has more than twenty-five years of experience managing federal contracts. Maureen is highly experienced in solving client pricing problems and implementing effective pricing strategies for placing products and services on GSA Schedule contracts. Maureen also frequently works with clients on effective selling and marketing strategies in the federal market space and is highly skilled as a federal contracts capture or proposal manager.

Breakout Session: Government Shutdown – How to be Prepared (Now and Next Time)

Traci Rowland Shepps – CPA, Partner, Cordia Partners

Traci Rowland Shepps is a Partner at Cordia Partners providing consulting and advisory services to government contractors and various other professional services organizations. Traci has over twenty-five years of professional experience in all facets of accounting operations, compliance, system design and implementation, and system and process optimization. Combining a strong accounting and consulting background with business systems experience, Traci specializes in providing accounting support, system design, and business process implementation and optimization. Her diverse professional and industry experience has provided her with an extensive knowledge base of business scenarios and industry best practices.

Brigitta Scott – CPA, Partner, Cordia Partners

Brigitta Scott is a Partner at Cordia Partners providing accounting outsourcing and advisory services to government contractors and various other professional services organizations. Brigitta has over twenty-five years of professional experience in all facets of accounting operations, compliance, internal audit, and internal controls, with extensive expertise in GAAP, FAR, and CAS. Brigitta’s experience with accounting department management, revenue recognition, cost allowability, forward pricing, internal controls, and risk management provides her clients with the industry-leading expertise and compliance best practices needed for their successful growth.

Breakout Session: Small Business – How to Win Federal Contracts as a Prime or Sub

Threase Baker – President, ABBTECH Professional Resources, Inc.

Threase joined ABBTECH in 2001 and has more than twenty-five years’ of experience in all areas of the staffing industry with particular emphasis on corporate recruiting, executive placement and staff augmentation. Her customer focus includes both the government and the private sector. Prior to her current role at ABBTECH, Threase worked as a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System project manager which provided vital perspectives on the Information Technology (IT) industry and process.

2019 Agenda Includes:

Afternoon breakout sessions on specific subjects

New speakers, more discussions

Cocktail Reception at the conclusion of the event for more networking

Topics:

Fearless Forecasts for 2019

Government Shutdown – How to be Prepared

Cybersecurity and blockchain

Small Business: How to Win Federal Contracts as a Prime or Sub

Government Contract Cases of Interest

Legal Compliance

Bid Protests and FAR Updates

GSA and VA Schedule Updates

Federal Market Intelligence

More will be added!

Who Should Attend:

Contract Managers and Administrators

Government Procurement Professionals and Ordering Officers

Corporate and Private Counsel

Executives of Large and Small Businesses

What’s Included:

Breakfast and lunch

Light refreshments

Course materials

Cocktail Reception

2019 Sponsors:

About the MGM

The Destination: MGM National Habor

The MGM National Harbor is a luxury resort, retail, dining, entertainment and gaming experience just minutes from Washington D.C on the banks of the Potomac River. MGM National Harbor includes a 23-story hotel with 308 rooms, 135,000 square feet in gaming space, retail space, a spa, seven restaurants, a 3,000-seat theater with seven VIP suites, 27,000 square feet of meeting and event space, and a parking garage for 4,800 cars.

The resort’s public spaces feature a permanent collection of art inspired by the Washington metropolitan area and developed in collaboration with Prince George’s County Arts and Humanities Council, Atlantic Arts, and RareCulture. Artists, sculptors, and photographers featured in the collection include Alice Aycock, Charles Hinman, Chul Hyun Ahn, John Safer, Liao Yibai, Margaret Boozer, Martha Jackson Jarvis, Sam Gilliam, and Terry O’Neill. The west entrance to the facility features a 25 foot by 15-foot iron archway composed of “found objects” such as farming tools, children’s toys, wheels and axes designed by Bob Dylan.

Hotel Reservations

Hotel reservations can be made in two ways:

By Phone: Make your reservation directly through the MGM National Harbor’s Reservation Office by calling 844.646.6847.

“As a practicing attorney who is in charge of government contracting and GSA schedules, I have found the Annual Review seminar extremely helpful. The speakers are always very knowledgeable and provide the most current updates on GSA schedule changes, the FAR, and government contracting and compliance. These updates help me focus on what changes I need to make for the upcoming year and increase my efficiency. The networking opportunities are also important as many government and private sector professionals come together to discuss current issues.”
– Paula Miller, Reingold, Inc.

“Are you missing out? If you work with or for the Federal Government and have not attended one of the Centre’s Annual Reviews you are missing out! The issues are current hot topics that I personally feel are vital to my ability to support our customers and our staff. The variety of Government and Industry speakers provided valuable information on challenges and successes in the industry. I walked away with a better understanding of recent FAR changes and how to better engage government procurement staff. Watch for the [follow up] Mid-Year review, you won’t regret attending this event.”
– Angela Dumm, CounterTrade Products, Inc.

“Hot Issues in Federal Contracting” class is definitely worth the price of admission! The presentation was professionally delivered, relevant, well organized, engaging, entertaining and fast paced. In addition to distilling the important details of new procurement laws and regulations, Jim provided thoughtful analysis, insights and courses of action to help businesses comply and remain competitive under these new laws and regulations. I strongly believe the “Hot Issues” class is a great way to stay current in our profession.”
– Jeff Cuskey, Monterey Bay PTAC

“The Annual Review was excellent. Well prepared subject matter experts. Continued to engage the audience and made them part of the discussions.”
– Jack Nichols, GS5, Inc.

“Your team Rocks! It’s refreshing to see such a competent team with one organization.” – Threase Baker, ABBTECH

“Extremely helpful training. Well-paced and presented by a a great team – just the right mix of what has happened, what is happening and what is going to happen down the road. This is the first training I have ever taken where 100% of what was planned to be presented was actually covered – very disciplined approach and delivery. I will be back and recommend this to others. Thank you!”
– Wayne Simpson, FedBizAssist, LLC

“Due to its nature, this seminar encourages networking and much diverse discussion since attendees have such varied backgrounds and Schedule types. There’s something for everyone and a great opportunity to learn.”
– Mary Beth Kuderna, Benjamin Moore